Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1887-03-31
YEARS AFTERWA ARD.

Adj, Se,l.wick sat by her window with an
OPEN letter upon her knee. Tho lcttcr was
from England, and Mrs. Scigwirk had hT'it
IN her Australian homo nearly seven years
But it was not on account nf the distance or
tho ia,,S' Of time that the letter had ceased to
interr>t her II was because ono s,'ntcnc" W
1t hnd SIT her dreaming with happy smile
upon her face 4 fair fnc, it waH for all tho
is years That hui laSxsl over is--fair and
sweet nnl very womanlike. No one lukifa
1t Mrs. Setlrwick would have guessed that
Der life had been anything but tranquil and
romnsnplacc. Her home in England during
her rirlhouh kndbccn n vcrv happy one; >hO
wai her fathers housekcolnr, companion,
friend, for his wife had died whc,i Adm wns
li.tlo more than baby. Itrr father called
l,cr his right hand. and shc was accustomed
n defer 10 his Judgment in every thing
Therefore. wl,c,r he ,poGo of James SrdI~ rrk
q a possible suitor it never occurred I" the
xtrl That this was not tho wxst nn'i best
arrangement.
!amr, Scigwick was at this ,imo what
girl, call q nice looking man Not haad-
some, not distinguished, but on,nontly nics
looking, with white hands. carefully trimmed
hniis, and hnir and whiSkcls which did credit
to tho time bestowed upon them. His prin-
cipl"s, too, werc irrcproachnhlc, oven il they
were expressed In patitu,les. lie had in
hcritetl little money nt his fathers death,
with which no went into promising. sonni
ing business ms partner. ~ certain fort,lnc,
h. said, and Iii, friends believed him. for
they had not found ont then that every new
scheme he put his hands and his money int
WAS, in his opinion, certain fortune Nor
did they in these days l'rcsaSo that his liking
for glass Of sherry, his desire to b. hail
fellow we'll met with every one with whom
bo came in contact, would -ni hy him Snl
denng his brains With continual nippinI
until hr became what is worse than n con
frin<l drunkG,,i-a man whn, drop 10y DROP
sips away his health, his money and the re-
slsnt nf his friends
Fortunately, Ada's father did not live to
&,r t.,is rons,imn,a'ion. lie dr"l Will" yet
his DAUGHTER seemed in a fair way to a happy
aud prosperous life.
Tho frs. srriou. blow that fell on Mrs.
Srd.wirk was the quarrel brtw-'l. her h,ls-
band and his partner They were both haSty
tempered men, hut Mr.. Srl,wi'k was in
addition obstinate. weak and foolish in Judy
nrnt lie left til" LiI>n,>s--a far poorer
man than when he joined it ->i,allv because
he Was too irritable and lig headed to allow
matters t. le smoothly arranged for him.
His next venture was ON the Stock TX
clnnyo Having ruined himself as far ,lS
lay IN his power. II" voted Ens,l land slow; ;
tnl, L" vince iur lo.irs and money Erull,crS.
W'",h MIA mind going with him abroad!
Wnull she mind, ]. was the one thing to
SAVE her The one thing >h" had hoped for
snc-' another, IL far dear"r, voice hal ~hi>I.-
ered "Con," with me to Fiji, to Timhnrt.o
anywhere. Give i,r loves right tn guard
and protect YOU
Possibly, Il the ycars ,"'ull have come
back, even when ut their bi.tTr'>t, Ala Srd.
wick r"uli huv" acted usaiu ~ she acted
whcn the temptation was strong upon her
sl,c loved her good name. She loved to lc
IN high esteem among her fellows. Sh loved
even to hear I~up" say what a devoted wife
s!" wuS. though she knew tho devotion was
10 duty alone not to- the husband She d"spi>rd.
We'll, il was over nno. The shallow brain
that had lrramt >,irh Wonderful things, and
hal been capable Of performing 50 little, VA.
at rest for ever And. even in the five
months that had claps,'l sine" Mr. Srdywlrks
death, his willow hal grown younger nnl
,onihiul r,-r tint o,l her cheek md shy.
happy expression in her dreamy eyes
The letter upon her kiico was only lnlv
likr "iTl,jun from a friend who kept hrr well
up in all the news nf ,tr !nnLon season. Sho
read i; li>tl,s.ly enough mt She came tn one
sentence "Do You remember Col. kcutly!
IIc has suddenly surprised us all by starting
for Australia NJ nne seems to know why
"Nu one seems to know why. nnow,"
Ada whispered to herself ale has not for
gotten me. Heaven has guided me Through
long years of misery for such happiness az
surely no woman ever felt before. DO rc-
member Col. kratlr' Is there word he
over spoke to mo, II lodt hc has ever given
me, have forgotten. l wonder il ho has
aged more than have lnha He j, only
two years Older and women, ttry say, arc 40
much in advance OF men in tho matter OF
age"
Then she went to her glass, AMI hliiSlir,l to
finl how young und happy she was looking.
And IL friend, happening to meet her that
day indorsri her own opinion by saying:
"Why, child, what have You been doing to
Yourself. Have YOU found the secret OF per-
Int,ial YOUTH 1t was m old wonian w'r
spoke, and n woman who loved her 1t hud
lsrli better for Mrs. Scdywick il She had met
some one about her own years l',t 4 little less
romcly. som" hnr who would have advised
her swrctlv to try some rldrrnowcr wash, the
heat was So trying for tffc complexion: some
on" who would have sympnthzel with her
ON her loss and babe her not fret much, hc
cause frrtting ruined the eyes and turned the
hasr grny. Then, perhaps, shc would have
gone lrrno feeling n li,th depressed. and
not n, To. lrst q: terms with hr,stN
But ns II was, glass and frj"'fd alike
told tl. same attrrins tale. and neither had
rrlH;rnlctl her, 'Wc are mt rejoicing that tly
ravn,,s If eighteen years Of worry and dis
tres. are being erased. and that you arc fd'-
ginning To look as IL happy woman OF -
should look"
So she told herself: What do years mt
teri MY lover is coming to llr..-niy lyvcr,
who has kept single for my sake. who has
seen no woman in all this time who ftls
taught hinr to forget me- On wind and tide
lr ki,rl; shorten the voyage, if only by an
h-tir: Igru'lS" every minute that we arc
separated now"
Tho wind and tide were kind. Tho gOOl
ship Grcta was having n most favorable pas
sagc-too favorable for one OF the passengers.
Col Kratly had ohcyei oil impulse i'll sail
iilI, sor Melbourne Us soon MS fft nows Of Mr..
Srlgwicl.'S dcati reached hlnh hut now, as
ea,h succeeding day seemed to l~ drawing
around linn ch.sins which he whS not ut all
sure he wished 80 wear, he wori, fan have
prolonged the voyage indefinitely, 1t was
true that he had cared for .Nla Scdgwirk
He had pitei her incxpre>s,bly; he loved TO
SEQ her mild eyes turned to hinffor sympathy,
almost it seemed for protection. And
then one night, when the sense of pity and